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Sunday, April 26, 2015

What is Hypovolemic Shock?

Medically, shock simply means that the tissues of the body aren't receiving adequate oxygen or nutrients and this leads to cell death. There are several different types of shock: septic shock, due to bacteria infection; neurogenic, involving the spinal cord; anaphylactic, due to an allergic reaction; cardiogenic, due to heart damage; and hypovolemic shock, due to a loss of blood/fluids.

This post will cover hypovolemic shock. What it looks like and how we treat it.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

8 Clever Ideas to Earn Money During Nursing School

Everyone warns you before you start nursing school of how hard the classes will be. They ask, "Can you handle cleaning up vomit, blood, poop, urine?" And while those are very valid points to consider before deciding on nursing school, there is one other major thing I hadn't given as much thought. I knew it would cost a lot of money. (It costs A LOT of money.) I just didn't realize how bad I'd feel about being so deeply in debt.

Nursing school is like boot camp for your mind (and body. Hellooo 13 hour shifts!) You don't have much time to spare. You'd like to spend whatever precious free time you do have with friends or family enjoying this simple little thing we call LIFE.

I hear you loud and clear. Here's 8 creative ways to earn money while in nursing school.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Fluid and Electrolyte Problems in Surgical Patients

No matter what field of nursing you go into, you'll most likely take care of patients who have had surgery. Even if you're not an OR nurse, it's important to know these common fluid and electrolyte issues that can occur in surgical patients. Here's a quick guide on F&E for the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative patient.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

How to Study for HESI

HESI exams are taken towards the end of your nursing school career. HESI is a great tracker to determine how well you will perform on the NCLEX. It's a stressful test. It's long. Some schools may even hold you back if you have not scored above a 900 on it. It's comprehensive. So how do you study for it? Here's a few strategies and programs I've been using.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

How to be an Awesome Preceptor

As you know this blog is written by a nursing student for nursing students. So what in the heck do I know about being a preceptor when I've never been one? The truth is, I don't. But I have had many preceptors thus far in my studies and I can tell you what worked and what didn't work. I can also tell you what you need to be as a student for these amazing preceptors we have.

I value all of the input I received from every nurse I worked under. I appreciate their time that they gave to me. I know I slowed them down by asking a million questions but I will be better and it's all due to them. So Thank you, preceptors! You've all done a smashing good job.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Dealing with Anxiety in Nursing School

I'm only anxious about once every 4 minutes. Usually about midway through a semester I have a lot of anxiety due to midterms, projects, papers, etc. This usually leads to numerous panic attacks. I'll admit to not being invincible. I'm not iron man (though he too has panic attacks). I have many Achilles Heels. I feel like I've been dumped in kryptonite. I can't move. I can barely breathe. I'm overwhelmed. I feel as if I'm lost at sea.... even though I'm lying down on the couch.

"The best use of imagination is creativity; The worst use of imagination is anxiety." -Deepak Chopra.

I have scoured the web many times, each semester, and have compiled a list of things I do to try to calm myself when these inevitable panic attacks strike. From humor, to meditation, to loving on my human; these are my top secrets to conquer my anxiety.